Opponents of Jair Bolsonaro continue to express their anger in the streets of Brazil. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday in several cities across the country, once again demanding the dismissal of the far-right president and denouncing increases in the cost of living.
The most important rallies were held in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo or Brasilia at the call of the “National Bolsonaro Campaign out”, supported by a dozen left-wing parties and numerous central labor unions. If these calls for demonstrations were launched in 167 cities of the country, a press count indicates that rallies were held in 24 of the 27 states of Brazil and in 84 cities, including 14 state capitals.
The two camps regularly mobilize
Above all, some right and center-right leaders took their places in the parades to denounce the consequences of the economic crisis in the country, although not necessarily supporting the call for impeachment. However, on September 7, massive rallies in Brasilia and Sao Paulo had gathered 125,000 supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, more than what the left managed to muster on Saturday.
In Rio de Janeiro, hundreds of people marched shouting “Bolsonaro outside”, a slogan also on many banners. “The bet of people here in the streets is to pressure parliamentarians to demand the impeachment of Bolsonaro,” said Elizabeth Simoes, a retired teacher of 69 years. More than a hundred petitions calling for this dismissal are pending in the Chamber of Deputies, but its president Arthur Lira, a government ally, is not following through. The Supreme Court has also ordered the opening of several investigations against Bolsonaro and his relatives, in particular for the dissemination of false information.
The presidential election in a year
In Sao Paulo, tens of thousands of people gathered with potential presidential candidates like Ciro Gomes, leader of the Democratic Labor Party (PDT) who came third in 2018. “Bolsonaro is destroying the national economy,” said the center-left politician. “It fills Brazil with shame abroad and is responsible for the deaths of nearly 600,000 Brazilians” from Covid-19.
Previous protests led by leftist movements aimed to demand the impeachment of Bolsonaro for his chaotic handling of the pandemic. On Saturday were also heard complaints against rising prices for food, gas and fuel, as well as the 14.1 million unemployed.
One year before the presidential election, a poll carried out in mid-September by the Datafolha institute gave 26% to the president in the first round against 44% for Lula. Many red flags of the Workers’ Party (PT) of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010) were visible on Saturday in the streets of Brazil.